Facebook's 'currency' Libra condemned, defended in feisty Senate hearing

I wasn't well-read on cryptocurrency before assigned to this story. In 24 hours, I researched, went to an expert panel discussion, and reported on the Senate hearing. I not only produced something publishable but I learned a lot and found  an interest in tech reporting. 

|"Your biggest problem is that people don't trust you," said Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a ranking member on the banking committee. 

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British P.M. frontrunner leverages good relationship with Trump to win votes

My second story on the front page of The Washington Times. This article considers what U.S.-U.K. relations could look like with Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister. I looked into their similar personalities, Brexit approaches, and differences on Iran. 

|"I think that Britain will increasingly move away from EU policy positions," Nile Gardiner, director of The Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, told The Washington Times.

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 Chinese students at American universities caught in the

crosshairs of the trade war

My first story on the front page of The Washington Times focusing on the possibility of Chinese students being a commodity in the ever-rising tension of the US-China trade war. 

|"...they have the most potential leverage to exploit and the greatest need for additional bargaining chips in the trade talks." - Paul Musgrave, political science professor at University of Mass. Amherst

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Freed pastor sees troubling signs for religious expression in Turkey

 Before I was a journalist, I prayed for this pastor. It was an honor to interview him years later. 

|"I love Turkey. I love the Turkish people. And I want there to be freedom in Turkey for the people to choose whatever path they want to follow." - Pastor Andrew Brunson

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FDR's D-Day prayer gets a new home at World War II Memorial on 75th anniversary

For my first article, The Washington Times sent me to the WWII Memorial to report on the new addition- FDR's D-Day prayer, originally read over the radio to his nation. 

|“My favorite part of the prayer is when he says that these soldiers … are not there for conquest. They’re there for liberation.” - Senator Rob Portman

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United Methodist Church votes down LGBTQ rights

An audio story following the rise and fall of the United Methodist Church conference that solidified the fate of the LGBTQ+ community within the denomination. For this story, I reported in St. Louis, Missouri and witnessed the debates, the vote and the protests that followed.

|Click here and here to see a live shot from the protest.

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Dignity provides a spiritual home for LGBTQI Catholics to worship

This is an explainer video of the history of Dignity USA, a ministry for LGBTQI Catholics. This piece allowed me to create and produce in Adobe After Effects while reporting on a lesser-known community of believers. 

|“A lot of times what will happen is that they find they can reconcile who they are, both their sexual nature and their spiritual nature, and they are able to resolve that and go to do other things.” - Lewis Speaks-Tanner, former president of Dignity USA

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Many Gay Muslims are trapped between religion and sexual orientation

My first long-format feature piece highlighted the life of a young Muslim student who hides her sexuality when she's home in the Middle East but lives freely at school in NYC. This piece also features audio clips from my interview with Ani Zonneveld, founder of Muslims for Progressive Values.

|“If I’m outside of the country, like I am right now, I’m untouchable. So technically if anything goes wrong they can’t do anything until I’m back in the borders.”- K.

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Abortion fight will continue in NYS despite new reproductive law

A few days after New York passed its most progressive abortion law, I covered a pro-life meeting that discussed how the movement plans to continue pursuing their mission within the state.

|"This battle has been going on for decades and we’re not giving up.” - Ed Mechmann, public policy director at the Archdiocese of New York

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Anti-Abortion Catholics divided on excommunicating Cuomo

In a follow up to the article above, I produced an audio story about Catholics wrestling with excommunicating Governor Cuomo who signed the Reproductive Healthcare Act. 

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Conservative women’s support for Judge Kavanaugh remains strong

In the storm surrounding Justice Brett Kavanugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, I initiated a team to travel to D.C. to cover the story from multiple points of view. In less than 24 hours, we travelled from NYC, reported and wrote our stories. We worked with our editor on the bus back to NYC and had them published in the middle of the night. The link will take you to my angle- the point of view from conservative women. 

|“I think that liberals are doing whatever they can to delay the process so they can get whoever they want into that position.” - Mandy Marlowe, Religious Freedom Coalition

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Kemp supporters tout “Georgian Values”

Leading up to the gubernatorial election in 2018, I travelled to Georgia, my home state, to report on the race. This election had national attention as candidates pulled Georgians between conservative Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams, one of the most progressive candidates the state had seen. This article includes audio excerpts from my interviews, including a few minutes from my one-on-one interview with Gov. Kemp. 

|“The whole country is watching this race because there’s this so-called ‘blue wave’ out there they think is going to change our Georgia values.” - Governor Brian Kemp

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Is fusion voting going to be eliminated?

A confusing little electoral process in New York that allows for minor-party cross-endorsement. It's an interesting facet of the elections and one that probably isn't going anywhere. 

|“It allows certain segments of the community to form their own parties based on their own issues." - Jerry Goldfeder, New York election lawyer

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The free-for-all to replace Rep. Jose Serrano

In a popular and crowded Congressional district, there's a variety of candidates. This article took readers through a who's who of early names dropped for the seat. 

| "I am one of those young, ambitious, people that has dedicated his career to empowering his community." - Jonathan Ortiz, first candidate to file for the congressional seat

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Frank Seddio, the devil’s advocate

Working for City & State Magazine allowed me to learn about some interesting characters, like Frank Seddio, a defender of controversial characters. 

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